The Georgia Vision for Public Education organizes the resources and energies of Georgia’s stakeholders to effectively focus on preparing students to become contributing members of a democratic society and global economy. By setting world-class educational standards, establishing viable directives, creating a sustainable framework and organizing contemporary networks at the local, county and regional levels, the project endeavors to gain the enthusiastic support of Federal, State and local policymakers and the citizens of Georgia.
During his 30-year career in public education, Dr. Barker served in the Coweta County School System as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal, principal, district administrator, and superintendent. He served as principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The Coweta County Board of Education hired Dr. Barker as Superintendent of Coweta County Schools effective April 1, 2011. Barker held this position until his retirement in June of 2020.
During the time that Dr. Barker served as superintendent, the Coweta County School System achieved AdvancED accreditation recognizing the school system as an exemplary district, opened an 8th Grade College and Career Academy, developed and implemented two 5-year district strategic plans with balanced scorecards, and developed a learning service delivery model that provided more advanced opportunities for all students. Dr. Barker facilitated a one-to-one Chromebook deployment to all students in grades 3-12 in 2015 and led the district through multiple facility expansions and renovations while keeping the school system debt-free.
Dr. Barker earned his B.A. in Education with an emphasis on Social Studies from Shorter College, his Master’s from the State University of West Georgia, and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Barker received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Shorter University in 2011 and the GAEL Exemplary Service Award in 2017. In 2018 Dr. Barker was named the Georgia Superintendent of the Year. He is a native of Dalton, Georgia, married to Karen Jackson Barker, and has two children – Cade and Lilli Glen.
Lynita Jackson formerly served as the Training and Support Manager for eBOARDsolutions, a subsidiary of the Georgia School Boards Association for 9 years. She is currently GSBA’s Strategic Planning Services and Georgia Vision for Public Education Manager. She has worked with school districts in Georgia and with customers in 21 other states. Lynita facilitates strategic planning for districts, assists districts with balanced scorecards, strategic dashboards and managing data. She is also a certified board trainer for the Georgia Department of Education.